JAILED: ‘Shown a total disregard for their local community, having been born and bred in Shepshed’

TWO masked knife-wielding thieves who stormed into a Shepshed shop demanding cash and fought with shopkeepers have been jailed.

Brett Johnson, aged 24, and Scott Oxford, aged 25, threatened Jay Kacha and his son Chiraag with six-inch bread knives and demanded cash from them at Shepshed General Stores, in Garendon Road, on April 17.

One was wearing a ski mask, while another wore a balaclava.

But Mr Kacha and his son fought back, wrestling with them and even disarming one of them before getting them out of the shop.

Johnson and Oxford were later arrested after taking off their disguises and being caught on CCTV shoplifting from Tesco Express just yards away from the convenience store.

Both pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery and having a sharply pointed blade in a public place when they appeared at Leicester Crown Court.

Johnson, of Ring Fence, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison, while Oxford, of McCarthy Road, was sentenced to four years and 10 months.

Both were also ordered to pay Mr Kacha £120 compensation.

Welcoming their sentence, Mr Kacha told the Echo: “When something like this happens it shakes your confidence quite a lot.

“But local people have been absolutely wonderful and the law enforcement officers have been great, you’ve got to give them 10 out of 10 for their effort.”

Loughborough commander Insp Johnny Monks said: “We have had a great investigation CID and local officers linking in together to bring swift justice, the offence was on April 17 and it just shows how things have improved in the justice system.

“These guys have shown a total disregard for their local community, having been born and bred in Shepshed. It’s a significant sentence and shows the gravity of the offence. It’s quite clearly affected the victims.

“We want to reassure members of the community this sentence, which is significant – almost five years apiece – highlights the gravity of the offence and proves you can’t go into a shop with a knife and demand cash and expect to get away with it.